1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a spreader apparatus for spreading manure. More particularly, the present invention relates to a spreader apparatus for spreading manure over a field to be used for agricultural purposes.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
Many farms include provisions for both the cultivation of arable farm land and the housing of livestock such as cows, beef cattle, chickens etc.
Typically, the manure from the livestock is collected as a useful source of natural fertilizer. Such manure is subsequently distributed on the land, thereby increasing the yield of the crops cultivated thereon.
Many mechanical arrangements have been devised for spreading such manure onto the surface of a field to be cultivated. Usually, such apparatus includes a cart having a container thereon with a conveyer for conveying the manure towards a spreader paddle which distributes the manure from the cart as the cart is drawn by a tractor.
More recently, as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,608 to Martin, a wheeled container includes a rotatable auger disposed adjacent to the base of a V-shaped container. The arrangement is such that the manure within the container is moved by the auger towards the end of the container where a paddle extending from the shaft of the auger projects the manure laterally through a discharge outlet defined by the container. The arrangement is such that the manure is distributed over the field by the tractor drawn container.
The aforementioned spreader apparatus also typically includes an auxiliary shaft disposed adjacent to the discharge outlet. Such auxiliary shaft has a plurality of radially extending hammer elements which rotate at a relatively high rotational speed for shredding and disintegrating the manure as the manure is discharged through the outlet.
In the aforementioned arrangement, there exist a tendency for the manure, particularly when in a semi-solid and/or fibrous state, to become bridged over the discharge auger. Such bridging is caused primarily because the side walls of the container must of necessity converge in a downward direction towards the discharge auger so that the manure is fed by gravity to the auger. If the side walls were disposed substantially parallel to each other, the capacity of the container would be severely limited. A typical container of the aforementioned type has a capacity of approximately ten cubic yards. Consequently, the angle defined between each side wall and the vertical is approximately 35 degrees. Accordingly, the angle defined between the side walls of a single auger spreader is in the region of seventy degrees so that bridging of the auger by the manure becomes a substantial problem.
In practice, in the design of spreaders, such spreaders have been made as large as possible so that frequent refilling of the spreader is avoided. However, in order to provide such increased capacity, the angle between the side walls must be increased and this leads to the aforementioned problem of bridging.
When the manure bridges over the auger within the container, no manure is fed by the auger towards the discharge outlet. Therefore, it is necessary for the operator to manually break the bridge before continuing the distribution cycle. Not only is the aforementioned problem inconvenient and time consuming, but also such delays caused by bridging generate an uneven distribution of the manure over the field which subsequently results in uneven crop growth.
The present invention overcomes the aforementioned problem by the provision of two augers disposed adjacent to the base of a container so that the side walls of the container provide a much steeper slope so that the manure under the influence of gravity is freely fed towards the augers thereby inhibiting the aforementioned manure bridging problem.
Also, even without the provision of the aforementioned much steeper slope, the provision of two augers according to the present invention inhibits the problem of bridging as the walls are further apart.
Additionally, the present invention provides a spreader apparatus having a feed auger and a discharge auger, with the axis of rotation of the discharge auger being disposed spaced and parallel to and laterally below the rotational axis of the feed auger. The arrangement is such that when the majority of the manure has been discharged from the container, the remaining manure within the container is fed directly and radially relative to the feed auger into mesh with the lower discharge auger so that the rate of discharge of the manure through the outlet remains relatively constant throughout the discharge of the entire load from the container.
Such constant discharge results in an even manure spread pattern. Also, the operator spends less time spreading a load of manure because the speed at which unloading is accomplished is increased due to the absence of bridging and no slowing down of the discharge rate towards the end of the spreading cycle.
Therefore, it is a primary objective of the present invention to provide a spreader apparatus which overcomes the aforementioned inadequacies of the prior art devices and which makes a considerable contribution to the art of spreading manure.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a spreader apparatus for spreading manure which includes a feed auger and a discharge auger. The axis of rotation of the discharge auger is spaced and parallel to and disposed laterally below the rotational axis of the feed auger so that discharge of manure from the outlet remains substantially constant during discharge of an entire load from the spreader apparatus.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of a spreader apparatus for spreading manure in which the problem of bridging over the auger within the container is overcome by the provision of a feed and a discharge auger.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art by a consideration of the detailed description contained hereinafter taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings.